Timeline of West Virginia: Civil War and Statehood
May 18, 1864

The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer
May 19, 1864

Is an Officer a Soldier. – About a year ago, at the solicitation of the military authorities here, the City Council passed an ordinance, prohibiting the sale of liquor to soldiers. The ordinance has been very rigorously executed in many instances and nearly all of the saloon keepers have been made to pay the penalties of its violation, but as yet no liquor seller has been fined for selling liquor to officers. Although language of the ordinance is plain it has heretofore been construed to apply only to enlisted men. Yesterday two officers took a drink at the house of George Dusch. – They were observed by a policeman, who at once summoned them to appear before Ald. Robertson to testify against Dusch, but the officers declined to be sworn, and so the matter rests for the present.

Under this construction of the ordinance, which is doubtless the proper one. Lt. Gen. Grant himself, could not get, in one of our bar rooms, a drink of the whisky of which he was once reputed to be so fond.